This journal draws on the best of the recent work done for and by the OECD Committee on Competition Law and Policy. Its articles provide insight into the thinking a competition law enforcers, and focus on the practical application of competition law and policy. Here’s what Robert Pitofsky, Chairman of the US Federal Trade Commission said about this new journal when it was launched: "Global competition is the wave of the future, and comparative analysis of the laws and practices of various members of the worldwide community of nations is a necessary corollary. This new OECD Journal of Competition Law and Policy, compiled from OECD Round Table discussions, summaries of recent developments, and articles on topics of special interest, will introduce regulators, practitioners, and scholars to different regulatory approaches around the world and will allow us to consider in a more informed way the strengths and weaknesses of our own systems."

The rail industry in Russia is one of the largest in the world. Russia’s vast distances, relatively under-developed road infrastructure, and high reliance on bulk commodities imply that the rail industry has a unique and key role in the transportation infrastructure of Russia. At present the industry is organised as a fully-integrated entity, operated by the Ministry of Railways. At a seminar in Moscow in December 2000, OECD experts and Russian officials discussed how this industry could be restructured to promote competition, enhance efficiency and to ensure that this industry best meets the needs of the growing Russian economy. The following summary sets out the key ideas and conclusions to emerge from that seminar. Three main topics are discussed: policies to establish a sound commercial environment for railway operators, structural options for competition and managing the transition to a competitive structure. A key issue is whether it would be possible to enhance competition by dividing the Russian rail industry into a number of verticaly-integrated railways, competing for the provision of rail services along the key rail transport corridors.